62 of General Motors manufacturing plants are recycling or reusing all of the normal wastes from production.

In 2008, GM announced its goal to transform one half of its manufacturing plants into zero-landfill operations before the end of 2010, and the company is almost 90% there.

"We’ve been working for quite some time at eliminating waste and developing support systems to recycle or reuse wastes we can’t yet eliminate. These plants have taken this process to its highest level. They are leading General Motors and the worldwide manufacturing industry." - Mike Robinson, GM vice president of Environment, Energy and Safety policy

Over 97% of waste materials from the company’s zero-landfill plants are either reused or recycled, and approximately 3% is used in waste-to-energy plants, relieving some of the dependence on fossil fuels for production.

This year, the company says that more than 2 million tons of waste materials will be recycled or reused at GM plants worldwide, and an additional 45,000 tons will be converted to energy at waste-to-energy facilities.

According to GM, recycling and waste elimination at these plants prevents more than 3 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent emissions from entering our atmosphere, and by reusing or recycling materials, is further reducing the impact of the company’s operations.

650,000 tons of scrap metal, 16,600 tons of wood, 21,600 tons of cardboard, and 3600 tons of plastic will be recycled at GM’s zero-landfill sites this year. The company sends the steel, alloy metals, and paper products to recyclers, and sends waste aluminum to GM foundries to be reused in engine and transmission components.

Other methods that the company is using to achieve zero-landfill at its plants are reconditioning used oil for use in their facilities, empty drums are refurbished and used again, and wood pallets are reused or rebuilt (or chipped into landscape materials or used for energy production).

"Reducing the impact of our manufacturing facilities is an important component of our efforts to remove the automobile from the environmental equation. We are actively pursuing ways to improve fuel economy, reduce oil consumption and reduce the CO2 emissions of our vehicles. Our work, however, goes beyond our vehicles to improving the environmental performance of our operations, too." - Robinson

[Via GM]